Dem
47
GOP
53
When Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) died suddenly in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) followed in the footsteps of Govs Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and scheduled the special election almost as far in the future as state law allowed. The date for the special election was Tuesday, June 2. California Assemblyman James Gallagher won 62% of the vote and was elected outright. He was officially sworn in yesterday.
The House is now 219R, 212D with four vacancies. This increases the margin Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has. If three Republicans vote with the Democrats on something the vote will be 216-215 and the bill or resolution will pass. With several important bills coming up, this extra margin could come in handy. That said, that requires every Republican to be present, and Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) isn't showing up to work these days. If he continues to play hooky, then Johnson is down to only two defections before a bill fails. (V)